State of Tarragona Wiki
Introduction Tarragona is a fictional state located in the southeastern region of the United States of America. Named for a region located in northeast Spain, it was first documented by Hernando de Soto in 1539 and later settled by the Spanish Empire in the early 1600s. Control of Tarragona of the United States of America was arranged by the terms of the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819, alongside the state of Florida in 1821https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adams–On%C3%ADs_Treaty. Considered one of the smaller states in the country, Tarragona is ranked 31st in size, resting between Louisiana and Mississippi. Population wise, Tarragona ranks 34th, below Arkansas and above Nevada. History Early Years Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the late 16th century, Tarragona was largely occupied by Native American groups. The Creek tribe maintained the largest group in the area. The Apalachee and Timucua, respectively, followed the Creeks. The expedition of Conquistador Hernando de Soto marked the first exploration of Tarragona. Having spent the winter of 1539 in what is now the southern portion of the state, slightly above the Florida border, the expedition turned north to investigate gold located "toward the sun's rising."https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hernando_de_Soto In de Soto's expedition journals, he noted the "sparkling quality of the waters" and the "lush walls of pine forests" to be of particular beauty, alongside an abundance of natural resources which would later attract national interest to the state after the acquisition of the United States of America. Tarragona remained largely disregarded until 1609 when Spain constructed a trading post along the Atlantic coastline. Named St. Sebastian, after the Christian patron saint of archers, athletes, and of a holy death, the trading post soon flourished into a lively town considered an important stop for restocking resources on the journey to the Caribbean followed by many European explorers and settlershttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Sebastian. The Spanish Empire soon constructed Fort Santiago, named for St. James the Greater, on a small island located due southeast from the city. Fort Santiago would soon become an important stronghold to protect from pirates, and later on, the British Empire. The Massacre of 1782 By 1782, the settlement of St. Sebastian had reached a large period population of almost 10,000 residents. However, despite the success of the colony, tensions between the settlers and Native Americans began to rise. The Native Americans saw the Spaniards as a threat to their way of life, while the Spaniards viewed the Native Americans as a "work in progress" to be converted to Catholicism and thus a European lifestyle. These feelings reached a boiling point on November 15th, 1782, when the Creek Indians staged an unexpected attack on the bustling city of St. Sebastian with a force of almost 2,000 warriors. Due to the unexpected nature of the attack, military forces stationed at Fort Santiago had no time to prepare and react: by the time the military responded to the attack, the Creek had broken through the city and were beginning to storm the fort. The attack lasted approximately 5 hours, from dawn to around noon according to public records. Over 80% of the residents were massacred, injured, or taken prisoner by the Indians, and 72% of structures were burnt to the ground. The Massacre of 1782 is historically considered to be one of the largest offenses taken by Native Americans against European colonists. After this attack, the colony of St. Sebastian was largely abandoned and was not resettled until the late 1800s by veterans of the Civil War seeking a haven free of carpetbaggers emigrating from the northern states. Civil War Years Due to its relative desolation deep in the heartland of the south, Tarragona was considered a strong strategic location for central military and government operations, even coming close to housing the capital of the Confederate States of America. Soldiers were trained near the future state capital of Oklanē, navy equipment housed on the Atlantic coast, and prisoner of war camps dotted the rural farmlands. The state itself escaped almost all impact of the war, only being affected by the emancipation of slaves. Reconstruction Era Tarragona experienced a population boom after the end of the Civil War, as Confederate veterans returned home and wished to move as far from the northern states, and subsequently, the influence of the federal government, as possible. The city of Oklanē was founded in 1866, eventually becoming the first state capital in almost 100 years, since the abandonment of St. Sebastian in the 1700s. Soon after, in 1873, the city of Laurelton Heights was founded on the Chattahoochee River and experienced a population growth of over 100% for a decade, and continued to grow well into the 1900s. The third largest city in Tarragona, known as Sapphire Shore, located on the Atlantic coast, was founded in 1884 and is considered a "hidden jewel" of the south. Civil Rights Movement The Civil Rights Era hit Tarragona hard, as remnants of ill feelings left from the state's history created the most radical segregation policies and public opinions in the country. Citizens that were not white were not allowed in some cities, given state identification, and their murder was not considered illegal under state law. Violence against African Americans and those of Native American descent was very common, peaking with almost daily bombings of houses and minority establishments at the height of the movement. On June 4th, 1969, President Richard Nixon ordered federal troops to be stationed in the cities of Oklanē and Laurelton Heights to enforce federal desegregation laws. The cities were occupied for a total of 132 days under the border-line martial law conditions until white citizens were complacent to federal policy. Modern History Modern times have seen a sharp decline in citizens of the state minority population, due to violence and opinions still held by radical locals. The decline of urban conditions in some towns has led to "white flight", or white citizens fleeing cities in search of suburbs free of the decay found in modern urban environmentshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_flight. Geography Tarragona is the 31st largest state in the United States of America, with a size of 53,251 square miles. Much of the land consists of coastal plains coated with southeastern conifer forests. Further inland are rolling hills, carved by branches leading from the Chattahoochee, Lower Flint, Satilla, Ochlockonee, and Suwannee Rivers to the Atlantic Ocean. Boundaries Tarragona is bordered on the north primarily by Georgiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_(U.S._state), to the west by Alabamahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama and a small portion of Florida, and to the south by Floridahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida. The Atlantic Ocean borders the entire east coast and portions of the north and south coasts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Ocean. Climate The state is classified as humid subtropical under the Koppen Climate Classificationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humid_temperate_climate. The average annual temperature is 64 °F (18 °C). Temperatures tend to remain consistently warm, due to the state's southern location and proximity to the Gulf of Mexico. Tarragona receives an average of 56 inches (1,400 mm) of rainfall annually and enjoys a lengthy growing season of up to 300 days in the southern part of the state. Summers in Tarragona are among the hottest in the U.S., with high temperatures averaging over 90 °F (32 °C) throughout the summer in some parts of the state. It is also prone to tropical storms and occasional hurricanes. Winters are generally mild in Tarragona, as they are throughout most of the Southeastern United States, with average January low temperatures around 40 °F (4 °C) in Mobile and around 32 °F (0 °C). Snow is an extremely rare event. Demographics Population Tarragona maintains a population of 1,523,295 residents, placing it as the 34th most populous state in the United States of America. Only 40% of the population lives in an area considered urban or suburban, creating a largely rural environment throughout the state. Tarragona is located in the middle of the Bible Belt, a region of numerous Protestant Christians. It has been identified as one of the most religious states in the United States, with about 81% of the population attending church regularly. A majority of people in the state identify as Evangelical Protestant. As of 2010, the three largest denominational groups in Tarragona are the Southern Baptist Convention, The United Methodist Church, and non-denominational Evangelical Protestant. In terms of race and ethnicity, the state was 69.7% White (65.9% Non-Hispanic White Alone), 22.3% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 4.0% from Some Other Race, and 2.1% from Two or More Races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race made up 8.8% of the population. As of 1960, 25.3% of residents of the state were under 18, 6.7% were under 5, and 13.0% were over 65. 51.7% of Tarragonians are male and 48.3% are female. Economy Agriculture Agriculture is the largest industry in the state of Tarragona. Citrus fruit, primarily limes and grapefruit, are the largest segment in this industry, followed by cotton, peanuts, and soybeans grown in the western portions of the state. Poultry farms are scattered across the state, alongside cattle grazing lands. Industry Tarragona is home to a diverse set of industrial productions, the largest of which is paper milling. A minor mining industry is present, only gold, due to low concentrations of capital natural resources located under the surface. Notable Economic Landmarks Robert H. Goddard Space Flight Center The Robert H. Goddard Space Flight Center is a NASA civilian operated campus located on the outskirts of the town of Sapphire Shores. Within the facility, researchers study various forms of rocket science, such as fuel sources and rocket design. Georgia Pacific Headquarters The Georgia-Pacific Corporation operates its headquarters in Oaklanē, as well as paper mills across the state. Tourism A thriving industry of tourism is located along the coast of Tarragona. Motels, souvenir shops, and other establishments are scattered along the coast, generating almost $554,000,000 a year in revenue. Culture Fine Arts Television and Film Recreation Parks Sports Education Cities, Towns, and Census Designated Places Oaklanēhttp://state-of-tarragona.wikia.com/wiki/Oklanē Oaklanē, located in the northwestern coastal region of the state, is the capital of Tarragona and is the most populous city, with 200,462 residents. Laurelton Heightshttp://state-of-tarragona.wikia.com/wiki/Laurelton_Heights Laurelton Heights, located on the Chattahoochee River, is the second-most populous city in the state, with 70,345 residents. Sapphire Shoreshttp://state-of-tarragona.wikia.com/wiki/Sapphire_Shores Sapphire Shores, located on the southern Atlantic coast of the state, is the third-most populous city in the state, with 14,220 residents. Malvadohttp://state-of-tarragona.wikia.com/wiki/Malvado Malvado, located on the northern Atlantic coast of the state, is notable as a gambling hub for the eastern United States. Notable People References Photos and videos are a great way to add visuals to your wiki. 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